A Game Called Hide and Seek
by DorianneGray
Summary: In which we meet an interested Shiki, a mermaid named Zero, a floating upper torso which mysteriously looks like it belongs to Yuuki, a troubled Kaname, and a very, very frightened Aidou. This is one night Cross Academy would never forget.
1. Something Fishy

A/N: **So. Just what insane thing did I come up with now? It actually started off when my good friend Nichie was drawing on my planner. She ended up drawing a mermaid Zero, and then I came up with the rest. Ideas just kept flowing out of me, and therefore this monstrosity of a fanfic came to be. I am Filipino, so I twisted some fun about our local legends with **_**Vampire Knight**_**. I had fun writing it, especially Shiki, since he's an awesome little vampire. Hee. Well then, I'll try updating this soon. **

**Don't forget to review! **

_***Vampire Knight and its characters or Philippine mythology monsters don't belong to me***_

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Chairman Cross shifted about his bookshelf, tracing his finger through the exposed spines. _Something wasn't right_. He could feel the dirt collect on his hand, but he didn't particularly care. He only cared about the gap in between _A Man's Beginner's Guide to Vampires_ and _Momma's Pasta Recipes of All-Time_.

"Eh?" he wondered out loud, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The retired vampire hunter scratched his head confusedly. "Now what could be missing there?"

* * *

It wasn't long before Senri Shiki stumbled upon an old book lying open on top of a desk inside the Cross Academy library. He had been looking for Rima, who had stolen his box of Pocky once more.

"Rima," groaned the red-haired youth in his passive voice. "This isn't funny this time. Please come out. I want my Pocky back."

He sighed, exasperated, when his companion didn't show. "Ah, well. I'm definitely not sharing next time."

Curiosity sparked his gaze when his blue eyes flickered onto the open book. Perhaps it was something to pass the time?

Shiki sat himself down and lazily stared at the book's wilting, fragile pages. It seemed aged, since it smelled rather odd and its pages were stained with a strange brownish-yellow color. His pale hand got a bit dusty as well, when he flipped the book carefully. Shiki took a look at the cover.

_Manila Scare: Creatures of the Night in Rural Philippines. _

_Hmm? Creatures of the night? Didn't that include me? _Shiki thought. He shrugged at his own question and began to read. It seemed interesting anyway. The young vampire propped it back open randomly, ending up setting his eyes on a huge letter S. His eyes grew even wider when he met the gaze of an illustration of a beautiful girl with a tail instead of legs. He raised his eyebrows as he followed the words carefully.

_The __sirena__ is a creature of __Philippine __mythology__ that is said to be living under the sea. They are the __Philippine__ version of __mermaids__. The __sirena__ is a mythological aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of a fish. The male version of a __sirena__ is called a __sireno.__ Sometimes they were also paired with another aquatic creature called the__ siyokoy__._

"Sireno," repeated Shiki slowly. The book was going to be quite interesting indeed.

* * *

"ZEROOOO!!!" Yuuki Cross called angrily. "It's time for our guardian duties, where the heck did you run off to now?!"

She rolled her eyes and paced around the forest impatiently. _If that bloody vampire doesn't show up in five minutes, I swear, I'll—_

Yuuki snapped her head up as a whisper called out her name.

"Yuuki! Yuuki! I'm in here!"

"Zero?" she asked, lowering her voice as well. "Why are you whispering?"

Another frustrated whisper sounded from who-knows-where. It grunted in difficulty. "You'll see later! But right now, I need you to help me with something."

"You have to tell me where you are first before I could do that."

"Dear lord, Yuuki, you butthead! BEHIND YOU," Zero's voice continued. "In the pool area."

Yuuki rolled her eyes, annoyed. What the hell was Zero playing on her again? And who was he to call her mean names?

She strolled over to the pool, hands inside her pocket, and sights set on her feet. Once she looked to the pool, Zero's intolerant expression met her irritated one immediately. His silver hair and bare upper body were wet from the water, and his damp, pallid arms rested on the concrete. He was still inside the pool.

"It's about time you got here," Zero muttered, obviously embarrassed.

Yuuki chuckled, bending down and resting her chin on top of her knees. "Looks like someone pushed you in the pool, Zero-kun."

Her childhood friend glared at her. "It's not funny."

"Aww, let me guess, you were robbed of your clothes somehow and the only place you're safe in is in there," laughed Yuuki.

Zero growled at her. "Again, it isn't funny, Yuuki, and that…didn't happen."

The flustered expression engulfed his face once more.

The brunette merely laughed even harder. "I'm sorry, Zero, this is just _hilarious_! It's rare seeing you all vulnerable and…_naked_, you know."

She slapped the ground in her laughter. "I should have brought a camera!"

"Alright, alright, you've had your fun," groaned Zero in nuisance. "Now will you help me or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get you some clothes, wait here."

"NO, DON'T GO, YUUKI!"

"Eh?"

She stared at him as he grabbed a hold of her wrist, half his body out of the water already. Yuuki gasped at what she saw. And she would much rather see bare legs and a male reproductive part than this.

But they weren't a man's legs.

It was a tail; a fish's scaly tail.

The girl would have shrieked if it weren't for Zero cupping his wet hand over her mouth. "Not a word about this, Yuuki," he warned, leaning closer to her. Yuuki's heartbeat hastened; Zero was too close for comfort. His cold touch made her cringe. "Now listen. I know it must be hard to believe, but a weirdo fairy appeared to me before the sun set and gave me this horrible fish's tail. She said I could only get my legs back if I receive love's true kiss."

With a deep breath, the vampire-_slash_-vampire hunter-_slash_-sireno-_slash_-whatever thing let go of Yuuki, waiting for her to reply. He sunk back into the water in shame, the upper part of his face only showing.

It took more than a minute for Yuuki to regain her composure. She now stared at him skeptically, rather than in disbelief. "AH, I GET IT."

"You do?"

"You're wearing that tail-suit in order to fool me AGAIN. Well then, Zero, _now_ it's not funny, and _hell no_ am I giving _you_ a kiss," she argued.

It was now that Zero stared at _her_ in disbelief. "Vampires exist, why can't mermen and fairies do?"

"Because now that's just pretty stupid."

"Look, do you _want_ to pull my tail so you could believe me?"

"Give it here."

Zero made an irritated sound and lifted himself from the pool. He smirked at Yuuki in confidence, flapping his wet, scaly tail on the concrete. "Go ahead. Just try and remove it."

He smiled smugly.

"UGH," yelled Yuuki. "You're really freaking serious about this?!"

"Yuuki," said Zero, getting tired from attempting to convince her. He massaged his temples lightly. "Would you really think I would go as far as this _thing_ over here?! I LOOK STUPID. I'm not just a freakish vampire anymore; now I'm a vampire _and _a merman! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW SCREWED UP MY LIFE IS?!"

"But I'm not even your true love!"

He sighed. "Well. You're the only girl that I've thought of…and…well; let's just give it a try, Yuuki. Please? I _really_ don't want to go to class with a fishtail and disgusting scaly skin."

She sighed at the same time, grinning at him. "Fine, Zero, my aquatic, mermaid friend. One kiss."

"Thanks. And it's mer_man_."

"But you owe me some of that ramen of yours after this."

"Agreed."

The silver-haired young man braced himself as his best friend drew closer to his lips. She was actually going to kiss him. For some reason, this made Zero happy that the fairy visited him.

Yuuki's eyes were closed while she moved in. _Three inches. Two inches. One inch. One centimeter. _

She flew them back open while she gasped for breath, staggering away from Zero and holding her neck with both her hands. Her breathing turned heavy, and she began hyperventilating.

Zero crawled to her with difficulty (he did have a tail, after all) in concern. "Yuuki? Yuuki? What happened?! Talk to me, Yuuki!"

"I—." She gasped. "I--."

"Yuuki!"

In seconds, the girl screamed, as if her body was in utter pain. Wings broke through her uniform and her upper body dismembered from its lower half. Yuuki's eyes turned red and her teeth grew sharp. She laughed maniacally and flew into the night, cackling with malice.

That was the last thing Zero remembered before he passed out.

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"_Manananggal_," Shiki read out loud, with difficulty pronouncing the words. "It resembles a Western vampire, in being an evil, human-devouring monster or witch. The myth of the _manananggal_ is popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines. A _manananggal_ is capable of severing its upper torso in order to fly into the night with huge bat-like wings to prey on unsuspecting, pregnant women in their homes; using an elongated proboscis-like tongue, it sucks the hearts of fetuses or blood of an unsuspecting, sleeping victim."

He glanced at the picture of a dismembered woman, with bat wings and a long tongue. He grimaced, but then chuckled eventually.

"Oooh. Scary."

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Kaname Kuran happened to be looking out his window that night, bored to death once more.

"Hmm?" he slurred at the sight of a floating upper torso flying in the midst of the darkness. He remained calm as he recognized who it was. "Well, that would be very difficult, indeed."

The pureblood strode along the hallways and into Hanabusa Aidou's room.

"Aidou," Kaname commanded, in his deep, authority-filled voice.

The blonde, blue-eyed vampire stood up respectfully and bowed down. "Yes, Kaname-sama?"

"Yuuki's been caught in a very complex situation now," he explained wistfully, an unfathomable appearance on his flawless features. "If you don't catch her upper torso before the sun rises, then…well, we'll see what happens to you now, won't we?"

Kaname gave a threatening smile to his noble blood follower.

"Upper torso?" Aidou repeated, bewildered. Kaname merely pointed his finger to Yuuki's upper body floating in mid-air.

"Oh. _That_ upper torso," he laughed nervously, attempting to keep his cool, only to be silenced by Kaname's weighty glare. If Aidou wasn't under that certain glare, he would have already ran off under his bed and begin sucking his thumb, holding his teddy bear close.

_This really _is _going to be one crazy night_, Aidou thought to himself, then glancing at the horrible cackling form he was commanded to get a hold of.

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_**To be continued. **_

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**Heeheehee. Loved it? Hated it? REVIEW (come on, so I'll have some motivation to write MOAR)! Pretty please? **

**Oh yeah, Nichie also drew a doodle of **_**manananggal **_**Yuuki and mermaid Zero, and she posted it on dA. Review if you want the link. ;)**


	2. Chasing Yuuki

A/N:** Yay! An update! So if you squint in this one, you could see the hints of some IchijouxKaname here. I mean, you gotta love them together, since Ichijou's the only dude who could ever top Kaname (even though I made him kind of extremely uke in here, bahahaha, I apologize). **

**And we also see what happens to Aidou. Read on, and please REVIEWWWWW. :D Thanks so much to the people who reviewed my first chapter of this story, you guys get a thumbs up from me. Most particularly, I thank Katie-luvs-MCR for her constant support of my stories and Dark Stiletto for that awesome review. **

_**-I still don't own Vampire Knight, or Philippine Mythology thingos-**_

**Now, without further ado, I present…**

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**CHAPTER II**

A certain blond, green-eyed vampire poked his head inside Kaname's room. Takuma Ichijou couldn't help but give out a quiet chuckle.

"What is it, Ichijou?" Kaname asked, no emotion masking his voice. He gazed up inquisitively at the moon, and at the twinkling stars. The moon was huge and full on this particular night. Kaname wondered what was going to happen before the sun was going to rise.

Ichijou walked over to his friend's side, following his gaze. "As much I do respect you, my lord, but don't you think what you're doing to Hanabusa-kun is a little bit…err…_cruel_? You could have asked me to do the job instead."

"Ah, yes," agreed Kaname, closing his eyes and grinning. "I am aware that Aidou wouldn't last a minute out there, but it would be interesting testing our little friend now, isn't it?"

"What do you think is causing all this? You seem to be rather calm about it."

"I think I have a good idea of what's going on."

"Oh," nodded Ichijou. He looked at the handsome pureblood, and then back at the marvelous moonlight. "I bet on my manga collection that Hanabusa-kun will be ending up hanging by Yuuki's flying torso the whole night."

Kaname smiled. "Ichijou, you know we don't have to bet on that."

Ichijou returned his smile, but looked behind him as a loud, banging knock sounded from the main entrance of the Night Class dormitory. "A visitor late at night? I'll go see who it is, please excuse me."

Soon enough, the noble blood disappeared into the darkness. It wasn't long before Kaname grew alert as Ichijou's frightened shriek echoed from downstairs.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Ichijou!" yelled Kaname. He dashed down the stairs and found the blonde vampire on the floor, crawling backward in fear and pointing hysterically at the sprawled-out figure at the porch.

A whispery, faded-like voice came from the figure. "I—I need…waaaaaterrrr…."

The pureblood made an attempt to see what exactly it was clearly. "What?"

"Waaaaterrrr!!!" the scary, whispery voice repeated, a little more irritated than last time. "Damn it, Kuran, gimme some water!"

Kaname smirked at the figure. He'd know that tone anywhere.

"IT HAS A TAIL!!!" Ichijou whined, grabbing hold of Kaname's black button-down shirt, and motioning behind him.

He exhaled calmly and helped the terrified Ichijou up. "Calm down, there's nothing to be afraid of. Look closely."

Reluctantly moving toward the figure, Ichijou soon realized it really was nothing to be scared of; but then maybe the look on the thing's face was.

"Oh!" he laughed, although soon blinking amusedly at it. "Kiryuu-kun, it's just you…with a tail."

The newly-born _sireno_ gasped for breath and glared up at the relieved green-eyed blonde. "Senpai, you really didn't have to scream that loudly."

"Whoops. My bad."

"Kiryuu, what in the world happened to you?" demanded the brunette vampire impatiently as he strutted to the porch.

"T-that's not the point," Zero attempted, holding his chest in difficulty of breathing. "The point is something terrible happened to Yuuki. You have to help me save her before it's too late. I'll explain everything soon."

Ichijou observed the merman. Zero's skin was drying up while he hyperventilated. "Kiryuu-kun, do you need some blood?"

"NO! I TOLD YOU, I NEED WATER!"

Kaname raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "You know how to save her?"

"Yes!" Zero gritted through his teeth. "We vampire hunters have been taught about other vampire-like creatures too, and the thing Yuuki just turned into is one of them. The other half of her body is still in the pool area. I lacked the strength to take it with me, but it has to be safe from harm too. If you please help me, I'll tell you what else I know."

A moment of apprehension came between the two rivals. Soon, the older of the two nodded. "Well, I was planning to catch her upper torso myself, but then you seem to know what you're talking about."

He turned to his follower, "Ichijou, carry this boy up to the bathtub and sever it from the tiles. We're bringing Kiryuu-kun along with us. After that, take Yuuki's lower torso from the pool area. Also, do you know where Kain, Shiki, and Rima are?"

Ichijou shook his head sadly, bending down to Zero's level. "No, but I'll do just that. Come on, Kiryuu-kuuun!"

"Hey, wai--," but the young sireno blacked out again as Ichijou picked him up as if he weighed a feather. He spat his tongue out in disgust while he felt Zero's newly scaled skin. "Eww, Kaname-sama, it feels like I'm holding an oversized fish!"

"Bear with it, please," exhaled his lord. Ichijou sighed and dashed into the bathroom.

_Yuuki, _Kaname pleaded_. Please…be safe. _

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Hanabusa Aidou panted, running back and forth, following the echo of the strange, inhumane laughter. He slowed his pace. How long has he been running again? Oh, right. 20 minutes.

_20 long minutes_, he thought. _That bitch better be around here somewhere._

"Yuuki-chan!" Aidou yelled as he walked through the trees. "Yuuki-chan, come on out! Hide and seek's over."

A wicked cackle soon responded to Aidou's call. He grew alert and ran on the pathway to the nearby town. Following the laughter with his vampire-sensitive hearing, Aidou darted across the trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bizarre flying creature. It's either he catch whatever it is, or fear Kaname-sama's painful wrath. Aidou thought facing an angry Kaname would be a thousand-fold more horrible than being eaten alive by whatever Yuuki has become.

"Aidou-senpai," Yuuki's recognizable voice came. "Aidou-senpai."

Once Aidou looked above him, he gasped as he saw the dismembered flying torso. His expression softened when he observed the look on Yuuki's face. Tears were flowing from her eyes and only one expression could be read—fear. Yuuki was scared.

Her hand pressed to her chest, tears running down more. "Aidou-senpai."

"Yuuki-chan!" he replied, stepping toward her cautiously. "It's okay. Kaname-sama told me to come get you. Come on now, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here. I won't hurt you, I promise."

The girl was still using her mutated bat wings for flight.

"I'll carry you if you come down from there!" Aidou said in the sweetest voice he could make.

He paused for a moment to think how her guts would feel like. He shivered. _Eww_.

Slowly but surely, Yuuki lowered to the ground, but stopped once she got to Aidou's level. She drew closer to him, leaning her tear-stained face near his obviously fearful one. Aidou involuntarily took a small step back.

"Aidou-senpai," the female creature reached a hand out to touch his face gently. "Aidou-senpai will…help Yuuki?"

And inside Aidou's mind, he panicked. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, her breath stinks like hell. And look at that awful set of un-flossed teeth! _

"Yes," he said, trying to sound truthful. "Yes, I will help Yuuki-chan."

She smiled a cruel, distrustful smile, leaning closer and closer to the terrified vampire. Aidou even thought she was about to kiss him. "Well then…you can help by…LEAVING ME ALONE."

And with that, she clawed Aidou's face with her enhanced, lengthened fingernails. Aidou screamed in pain as he grabbed onto his blood-stained cheek. Once he glanced up, the mutated upper torso flew at lightning speed back into the night sky, its deafening cackling resounding in the forest again.

"ACK! WHY YOU--!"

Aidou called while he used his speed to catch up at her pace, "IT'S A GOOD THING WE VAMPIRES HEAL FAST, Y'KNOW! AND DON'T YOU RUN FROM ME, YUUKI-CHAN! I'M NOT GOING TO STOP CHASING YOU!"

He held his breath, bracing himself as he jumped as high as he could…

…grabbing onto the manananggal's waist.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FOOL!?" shouted the monster in its distorted voice. Aidou held her waist tightly, hoping his weight would bring her down. He winced when he saw how high Yuuki was flying.

"I-I'm not letting go of you, Yuuki-chan!"

"Idiot, I'm stronger than you! Let go this instant!" she commanded, bringing her claws up to scratch his hands off of her. Aidou smirked and froze his hands with his powers onto her waist. He grinned, winking at her.

"You're forgetting about how I can manipulate ice, Yuuki-chan."

Aidou lost his smile once she smiled back. "You want to fly with me? Then let's fly, Aidou-senpai."

Yuuki flew as high as she can. Pleasure ran through her veins as Aidou's screams grew louder and louder.

Aidou made sure he stuck to the monster like glue.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! KANAME-SAMAAAAAAA!!!"

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"Kaname-sama!" Ichijou alerted in his perky tone. He pointed up to the sky. "Looks like we really didn't have to bet after all."

Zero glanced up at the two flying shadows from the bathtub he was in (which Ichijou placed on top of an old cart he found), narrowing his lavender-shaded eyes. "God. Yuuki, what the hell happened to you?"

The pureblood exhaled in disappointment. "I've always known Aidou was nearly useless. Oh, and Kiryuu, you better know where Yuuki's headed off to."

"She's going," Zero murmured, clutching the edge of the bathtub. "She's going to the nearest town."

Ichijou chirped. "Eh? Nearest town?"

"To eat," Kaname growled, his irises turning into a deep crimson red. "We have to stop her before that happens."

"I think," the noble blood gulped, holding onto the cart tightly. "…I think we have to get through that thing over there first."

"What thing?"

"That thing."

All two and a half vampires looked at the shadow lurking within the emerald green bushes. Ichijou was tempted to run behind Kaname's back again once the new creature stepped into the moonlight.

The silver-haired sireno couldn't restrain himself. "WHAT THE F--."

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Shiki narrowed his blue eyes to take a better look at the picture he was looking at. "This looks like a strange one."

_Tikbalang__ is a creature of __Philippine folklore__ said to lurk in the mountains and forests of the __Philippines__. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down. It has the head and feet of an animal, most commonly a __horse__._

"Okaaay," Shiki said, his right eye twitching a bit. "So it has the legs and head of a horse and the body of a man. Hmm. _Tik-ba-lang_."

He looked outside the huge window, and snapped his head back to rub his eyes. Shiki could have sworn he saw a flying upper torso and another person dangling helplessly from its waist.

"Naaaah," he chuckled, going back to reading the book.

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_**To be continued…**_

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**Heh. I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't very good. I wasn't really feeling it much. I did like writing about Ichijou though. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please don't forget to hit that review button! Thank you. :D**


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